US President Barack Obama and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Photo: AFP

US President Barack Obama on Thursday re-affirmed Washington’s commitment to establishing an independent Palestinian state. “Just as Israelis built a state in their homeland, Palestinians have a right to be a free people in their own land," said President Obama in a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. Obama pledged to press for the resumption of peace talks between Israel and Palestine.